University students ordered to help manage Hyesan-Samjiyon train tracks

Frequent visits to Samjiyon County by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to check on the area’s modernization projects have led the local People’s Committee to establish a system to manage the safety and “cleanliness” of the railway stretching from Hyesan to Samjiyon, a North Korean source reported on October 26.

Kim has visited Samjiyon County at least three times in the latter half of this year, along with a visit to the nearby Mt. Paektu. In August, he rode the Hyesan-Samjiyon railway that was completed in August, and used an aircraft to travel to the area on the final day of the Pyongyang summit to visit Mt. Paektu along with President Moon Jae In and his entourage.

“In October, the [local People’s] Committee gave each factory-enterprise and even university and driver’s training organizations an area to manage along the road and railway stretching from Hyesan to Samjiyon,” said a Ryanggang Province-based source on October 26.

The organizations must visit the area they manage at least once a week and ensure it remains safe and clean. If any issues are discovered, they must be addressed as soon as possible. The source also noted that the local municipal and county People’s Committee Mobilization Departments will likely conduct monitoring activities in the area. ......